Centrifugal pumps are used in many industrial applications to process and transport fluids. When the fluids contain particulate matter, such as in the mining industry, slurry pumps, a type of centrifugal pump, are oftentimes used. Slurry pumps are particularly constructed and configured to withstand the damage that can be caused to the pump by processing the abrasive particulates and solids of which slurries are partially comprised.
When abrasive slurries are processed by centrifugal pumps, the fluid tends to migrate between the impeller and the casing. As a result, the inner surface of the casing (i.e., the portion of the casing that is located adjacent the impeller) and the impeller become worn and gaps are formed of ever-increasing width, between the impeller and the inner surface of the casing. This oftentimes results in a decrease in pump efficiency.
Slurry pumps vary in design. In a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, a slurry pump is constructed to include one or more adjustable side liners arranged to lessen or otherwise minimize the gaps formed between the inner surface of the casing and the impeller. Minimizing these gaps improves pumping efficiencies, thus, many slurry pump designs employ one or more axially adjustable side plate liners to enable the adjustable side plate liner to be brought into closer proximity to the impeller as the inner surface of the side plate liner and/or the impeller wear. The use of side liners in a centrifugal slurry pump is previously disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,954 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,536, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. However, as the adjustable side plate liners are moved, it become increasingly difficult to maintain a fluid seal between the casing elements.